Piru, California became rural Nebraska: Where the series Lanterns was filmed

Piru is arguably the most important real-world location in Lanterns. Sitting in the Santa Clara River Valley northwest of Los Angeles, the small community already has the low-rise buildings, broad streets, agricultural surroundings and hills that allow it to pass convincingly for a remote Midwestern town. But the production did considerably more than arrive for a few exterior shots.

The crew worked in Piru over several months – constructing and dressing buildings before repeatedly returning to film there. The Piru Neighborhood Council's production calendar documented extensive activity connected with the working title Latitude, while a June 2025 notice explicitly identified the project filming in town as Lanterns. 

Ventura County permits reveal how extensively the production used Center Street in Piru. Filming in late March and early April 2025 covered numerous properties along the street, including addresses around Center Street. Production activity also extended to 665 Piru Square, 3972 Market Street and a gravel lot at the corner of Via Fustero and Center Street.

The first major block ran from March 27 through April 2, followed by additional filming on April 22, 23 and 24. Some locations were dressed and dismantled over several days between shoots. On Google Street View, Warner Bros. trucks are visible parked on Center Street in Piru, with crew members building up the set in plain sight – one of the more candid behind-the-scenes documents a production has inadvertently left behind.

WATCH THE PRODUCTION BUILDING UP ON GOOGLE MAPS

Piru remained active later in the shoot. On June 4, the Piru Neighborhood Council reported a nighttime street closure at the intersection of Main Street and Center Street, with California Highway Patrol officers helping control the area while production worked around residents and businesses.

Continue reading below the ad

The same Ventura County permit includes filming activity outside Piru at 3741 East Telegraph Road and 5164 East Telegraph Road in Fillmore – the agricultural community immediately west of Piru on the Santa Clara River. Their inclusion shows that the rural landscape surrounding Piru was part of the production footprint.

Principal photography began on February 10, 2025, in the Los Angeles area before the larger Piru exterior work became visible in March. The overall production period ran through July 15, with the principal shoot wrapping in July 2025.

The second season was announced on May 19, 2026. No filming dates or locations for season 2 have been disclosed.

Lanterns premieres on HBO and Max on August 16, 2026.